There have been more than 178,000 operations cancelled in Wales over the last two years - with almost 75,000 of these due to non-clinical reasons.

Shocking figures show that in the last two years, 70,000 operations in Wales have been cancelled for “non-clinical” reasons.

The information was obtained from the Welsh Government through a Freedom of Information request, and showed more than 90,000 operations were cancelled in 2017/18.

What does this actually mean?

Operations in the Welsh NHS can be cancelled for three different reasons: clinical, non-clinical and patient.

Clinical: When it's unsafe to proceed due to the patient’s health and fitness.

Non-clinical: When the hospital itself has to cancel the operation. This can be for a number of reasons, including staff sickness or a lack of available beds.

Patient: When the patient cancels the operation.

Over the last two years, there have been more than 178,000 cancellations - with almost 75,000 of these being due to non-clinical reasons.

This graph shows the reasons why operations are cancelled

Last minute cancellations

Last year saw a 7% rise in operations cancelled with less than a day to go for non-clinical reasons (Image: PA)

For many patients, it is not the cancellations that hit them hard - it is how last-minute they are.

The past year saw a 7% increase in the number of operations cancelled with less than a day to go for non-clinical reasons.

In many of these cases, the patient would already have stopped eating and drinking in preparation for their operation.

'My urgent operation was cancelled four times'

Stephen Eddy (Image: Jonathan Myers)

Stephen Eddy, 63, has had an operation to treat his badly infected knee cancelled four times.

The retired driver from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, near Port Talbot , has a knee problem that is considered urgent. However, on the four occasions he has been booked into Morriston Hospital in Swansea , the procedure has been cancelled.

One of these was on the morning of the operation.

"They are really letting us down," said wife Kathryn, 64.

"He has been put on tramadol.

"Originally he had a phone call from his consultant who had looked at his scans and said he knee was badly infected.

"They will remove the tibia and he will have it washed out. Depending on the level of infection it could be between three days in hospital or six weeks.

"The last cancellation was on the morning of the operation. They said they would call at 7.30am. When I heard nothing I contacted them and they said that there was not enough beds so it was cancelled. The operation is supposed to be urgent."

Stephen is still awaiting his operation (Image: Jonathan Myers)

Former nurse Kathryn says Stephen is her carer and arrangements keep having to arranged with her children to support them both when he is recovering. But due to repeated cancellations, these have had to be rearranged several times.

"He used to love playing golf. He would play three times a week as he would do shifts so could play in the morning.

"This year is started being more painful. Because he has to walk differently he is also getting pain in his back.

"He is very dispondent.

"My daughter and son prepared to come down each time. She is a manager and he is a bank manager. It is hard for them to just take time off work.

"The hospital don’t consider the wider picture. I admit, I didn’t when I was a nurse.

"My husband is so laid-back but the other day he turned round and said he didn’t think it would happen.

"It is now twice the size of the other leg."

Rebecca Carlton, service director at Morriston Hospital, said there had been a recent "surge" in numbers.

She said: "We understand the frustration and inconvenience when an operation is postponed and sincerely apologise to patients when this happens.

"Like lots of hospitals in England and Wales, Morriston has seen a period of sustained pressure and high emergency demand for patients who need surgery. This surge in the numbers of both patients with trauma-related injuries, and emergency surgical presentations generally, has created an increase in demand at Morriston Hospital of between 10 and 15 patients per day.

"Our clinical teams continually prioritise patients for theatre, and regrettably this has led to an increased wait for some patients who are more clinically stable and waiting for planned surgical procedures.

"We are doing everything we can to minimise these delays and reschedule postponed operations as soon as possible."

'Health boards expected to do all they can to ensure operations take place on time'

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "Every year, the Welsh NHS deals with over 700,000 admissions for operations and other procedures and we expect health boards to do all they can to make sure operations and procedures take place on time.

"Whilst around half of appointments are postponed by patients themselves, the remainder are primarily due to patient safety.

"Not all postponements result in the theatre slot being lost, as more often than not, health boards will have other patients who can be treated at that time waiting on an agreed stand by list."